File.



"n "0 573331 Patented May?, |90I.

J. L. DEAN.

FILE. v (Application led Dea 8, 1900.)

(No limiet.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

JAMES L. DEAN, OF VA'IERVILLE, MAINE.

F-ILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,387, dated May '7, 1901.

Application filed December 3, 1900. Serial No. 38,518. lNo model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES L. DEAN, a resident of Waterville, in the county of Kennebec and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Files; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improved document or reference iile, the object of the invention being to providean improved device of this character which will greatly simplify the filing away of documents and references and which can be enlarged or diminished or rearranged at will.

With this object in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view illustrating my improvements. Fig. 2 is a view in section of the same. Fig. 3 is a View of one leaf removed, and Figs. 4L and 5 are views of details of construction.

1 represents a binding of any approved material, but preferably comprising st-i backs 2 and intermediate section 3, to which latter my improved binders t and 5 are secured, near the respective ends thereof. The binder 4 comprises a plate 6, secured to the portion 3 and provided at one end with a flap 7, projecting at right angles thereto, and having secured thereto a pin or pintle 8, disposed parallel with plate 6 and made with an annular groove or recess near its free end. To the other end of the plate 6 a flap 9 is hinged, as shown, and is made with a hole 10 to receive the pintle S and bent around said hole to form a spring-clamp to engage the pintle in the groove or recess therein to secure the pages in place. The other binder 5 comprises a plate 11, secured to intermediate portion 3 and provided at one end with a hinged flap 12, carrying a pintle 13, which latter is made with an annular groove or recess 14 near its free end for a purpose which will now be explained. To the other end of plate 11v a iap 15 is hinged and comprises wparallel plates, between which a slide 16 is mounted. The inner plate of the flap 15 is made with a hole to receive the pintle 13, and the outer plate is made with a depression or recess to receive the end of the pintle after its passage through slide 16, which latter is made with a 'slot 17 of greatest width at one end to permit the free passage therethrough of the pintle; but said slot gradually tapers to its other end, where it is of less diameter than the pintle, so that when the slide is moved to one extreme position the pintle canbe freely passed therethrough, but when moved to its other extreme position the slide will engage the recessed portion at the end of the pintle amd secure it against accident-al removal. 3L/The leaves of my improved file each com prise an envelop 18 and a cardboard stub 19, spaced therefrom and connected by a fabric strip 20. In constructing the leaves the strip 2O is folded longitudinally and incloses and is glued to the stub 19, and the respective edges of strip 20 are glued to the envelop 18, the intermediate portion thereof between the envelop and stub being provided, preferably, with lines of stitching, so as to hold the sides of the strip together, and the stubs 19 are punched to receive the pins or pintles 8 and 13 and secure the leaves in the binding.

By constructing the leaves as above described the intermediate flexible strip between the stubs and envelops will permit the envelops to lie fiat at any point the file may be opened and will compensate for the varying thicknesses of the envelops according to their contents, as some envelops may contain but little, while others may be almost full.

Various slight changes might be resorted to in the general form and arrangement of the several parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I would have it understood that I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details set forth, but consider myself at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters IOO l. In a-documentiie,the combination with stiff coversnandaback connecting-.fsaidcow ers, of a series of stubs disposed between the covers, strips of flexible material secured to 'each stub and projecting therefrom forming a' pair of Iiaps, an envelopl glued between each pair of said flaps, binder-frames secured Within the back of the le and having two members disposed at right angles to eachiv other, a rigid pin projecting from one of said members and passing through the said stubs, and a flap hingedjao:each-.binder-frame to 4enf e gage the free end of said pinthereon. i

2. In a binder for a document-file, the combination of a plate having a flap at one end carrying a pin or pintle, and a flap hingedto theother end of, the plate andzhaving a hoie thereinito receive the free end o'rv thefpintle. Y 3. In a binder for a document-file, the combination of a plate having a iap at one end carrying a pin or pintle, a iap hinged to the other end of. saidplate and means thereon forlockingsaidiastLmen tioned flap and pintle together.

In testimony whereof I, have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrib ing witnesses.

JAMES L. DEAN; 

